The present invention relates broadly to devices for absorbing the impact of a stream of liquid and, more particularly, to a device and method capable of minimizing the amount of splash caused by the impact of a stream of urine with the body of water in a commode. In the preferred embodiment, the device is a floatable, single-use, disposable, and partially water-soluble paper product that can be used to such advantage, which the inventor calls "men's urinary paper," or MEN'S UP, for short.
Since the development of indoor plumbing and the use of flushable, water-filled commodes, one of the greatest irritants arising between men and women is the fact that water (or more water) tends to splash out of such a commode during urination by a man than during urination by a woman. This result is not unexpected, under simple principles of physics, given the difference in distance and velocity of a urinary stream originating from a man standing in front of a commode as opposed to a woman sitting on a commode seat. In addition, since he does not sit on the commode seat, a man does not have the advantage (or disadvantage) of having his body act as a shield to prevent water from splashing out of the commode bowl.
While not seen as a problem by most men, some have attempted to address this problem in numerous innovative ways. A first method for addressing this problem includes disregarding the splash during urination and attempting to clean up the results of the splash upon completion. While such a method may ultimately achieve a satisfactory end result, it is an unsanitary procedure that does not prevent splashing from occurring in the first place. A second method may be employed by the man if the commode bowl is advantageously shaped and if the water level in the commode bowl is sufficiently low. In such a situation, the man may attempt to avoid splashing by aiming his urinary stream at the slightly exposed interior surface of the commode bowl just above the surface of the water in the commode bowl. The level of precision, dexterity, and skill required for such aim is quite difficult and unachievable one hundred percent of the time; thus, forcing the man to resort to the first method if his aim is inadequate.
A third method, which requires the man to unroll and properly place a precise amount of toilet tissue ("wad") onto the water surface in the commode prior to urination, would appear to be a potential solution to this problem; however, this method poses several difficulties. On the one hand, if an insufficient amount of toilet paper is used, the wad may float initially but, when exposed to the force of impact of an ordinary stream of urine, sinks below the surface of the water in the commode bowl and loses whatever splash preventive capability it may have initially exhibited. On the other hand, if too much toilet paper is used, the wad quickly becomes water-logged and, having no external means for buoyancy, sinks beneath the water surface and likewise becomes ineffective as a splash inhibitor. While an exorbitant amount of toilet paper could be used to create a wad large enough to absorb substantially all of the water within the commode bowl and, thus, obviate the problem of splashing, such an alternative is not desirable for several reasons. For example, wasting this amount of toilet paper for such a purpose is not cost effective, is time-consuming, and presents flushing problems with most standard commodes and plumbing.
Finally, numerous other devices that by-pass the surface water of a standard commode, such as suction devices, funnels, or the like, or devices which act as a shield or barrier to prevent splash from escaping the confines of a commode are known in the art. None of these known devices, however, provide an easy, sanitary, and inexpensive solution to this age-old problem.